Washfountain



1936- v H. A. MULLETT ET AL ,040,266

. WASHFOUNTAIN Filed July 3, 1933 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mm x mwm INVENT R3 Hl vmd. 5

y 1936- H. A. MULLETT ErAL 2,040,256

WASHFOUNTAIlgN Filed July 3, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS ATTORNEYS Patented May 12, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WASHFOUNTAIN of Wisconsin Application July 3, 1933, Serial No. 678,778

5 Claims.

The invention relates to improvements in foot controlled washfountains.

Sanitary washfountains, now in general use, permit a number of persons to wash at the same time and in one form the lavatory may be positioned against a side wall and is of semi-circular shape and provided with a suitable water distributing means.

To conserve the use of the water and to provide for its use only when needed, the object of the present invention is to provide simple and efiicient foot controlled valve mechanism readily operable at any point about the semi-circular washbasin.

A further object of the invention is to provide a foot controlled washfountain which is of simple construction, is strong and durable, and is well adapted for the purpose described.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a lavatory or washfountain embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view through one of the treadle pivots.

In the drawings, the numeral 5 designates the basin or receptacle and 6 the hollow standard therefor. It will be noted that both the basin and standard are of substantially semi-circular formation so that the flat sides or backs and 8 thereof may be placed against a wall.

The water may be supplied to the basin by any suitable spraying device or series of spray nozzles. By way of illustration we have shown the spraying head or fountain shown in detail in the prior U. S. Patent No. 1,592,159 dated July 13, 1926 to Louis Schleisinger and Herman E. Heine wherein the water from the supply pipe 9 is discharged through a series of radially and downwardly extending jet orifices 9 which are arranged in a semi-circular line around the head and are adapted to discharge outwardly and downwardly within the confines of the receptacle. As in said patent the supply pipe extends up through the drain passage of the basin which discharges into the trap Ill connected with the waste pipe H. A strainer I2 is disposed at the opening into the drain passage.

A supply pipe 9 has a valve l3 of the normally closed type connected between the sections l4 and I5 thereof and is provided with an oscillatory actuating arm I6 having a roller I! at the outer end thereof which works in the slotted end l8 of an arm [9 fixed to a vertically movable rod 20, said arm projecting through a slot 2| in the standard 6.

Metal plates 22 and 23 are clamped to opposite side walls of the standard adjacent the slot 2| and each plate has a slot 24 alined with the slot 2|, the sides of said slots 24 acting as guideways for the arm IS. The plate 23 has a rearwardly extending lug 25 provided with an opening 26 in which the upper portion of the rod 20 is vertically slidably guided, the lower end of said rod 20 being similarly guided in a bore 21 formed in a base plate 28. A weight 29 is mounted on the rod 20 and acts thereon and on the arms l9 and Hi to move them downwardly to a position in which the valve [3 is closed.

The rod 20 has a collar 30 secured thereto provided with a lug 3| adapted to be engaged by the end of an arm 32 of a lever 33 pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a pivot shaft 34 carried by the standard, said lever extending through an opening 35 in said standard. The outer forked end 36 of the lever 33 is adapted to receive the actuator 31.

The actuator 31 is in the form of a tube or pipe bent to generally semi-circular form having its threaded ends 38 extending somewhat loosely through tubular parts 39 so as to pivot therein, said threaded ends carrying the stop nuts 40. The tubular parts 39 are formed on the ends of bracket arms 4| mounted in the base portion of the standard.

Pressing down on the actuator 31 at substantially any point about the basin will act to depress the outer slotted end of the lever 33 and consequently raise the rod 20 with the arm l9 which then acts to swing the arm l6 upwardly to open the valve l3.

In use, the supply of water to the spray nozzles 9' is cut off by the normally closed valve I 3 and if it is desired to wash, it is only necessary to press downwardly on the actuator or treadle 31 to turn on the water, and as soon as the foot is removed from the actuator 31 the weight 29 will act on the parts previously described to close the valve.

We desire it to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to any particular form or arrangement of parts except in so far as such limitations are included in the claims.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a washfountain, the combination of a washbasin of substantially semi-circular form, a

water supply pipe, a water distributing means connected with said supply pipe and disposed above said basin for directing water into the same, a valve controlling the flow of water to said distributing means, a reciprocal member for controlling said valve including a vertically movable rod, a lever disposed beneath the basin for moving said rod, an actuator of semi-circular form disposed beneath the basin and operatively connected at its medial portion with said lever, and means pivotally connected with the ends of said actuator for supporting the same inoperative position.

2. In a washfountain, the combination of a washbasin of substantially semi-circular form, a base, a water supply pipe, a water distributing means connected with said supply pipe and disposed above said basin for directing water into the same, a valve controlling the flow of water to said distributing means, a reciprocal member for controlling said valve, a lever disposed beneath the basin for moving said member, and a pivotally mounted actuator extending about said base and connected intermediate its ends to said lever.

3. In a washfountain, the combination of a pedestal, a washbasin mounted on said pedestal and of substantially semi-circular form, a water supply pipe, a Water distributing means connected with said supply pipe and disposed above said basin for directing water into the same, a valve controlling the flow of Water to said distributing means, a reciprocal member for controlling said valve including a medially disposed vertically movable rod, guide means for said rod mounted on said pedestal, a medially disposed lever for moving said rod, an actuator extending about said pedestal and connected intermediate its ends to said lever, and pivotal supports for the ends of said actuator.

4. In a washfountain, the combination of a base, a washbasin mounted on said base and of substantially semi-circular form, a water supply pipe, a water distributing means connected with said supply pipeand disposed above said basin for directing water into the same, a valve controlling the flow of water to said distributing means, and means for operating said valve including a, treadle member of substantially semicircular form disposed beneath the basin and extending about said base, pivotal supports for said treadle member having tubular portions in which the ends of said treadle member are loosely mounted, and stop members on the ends of said treadle member.

5. In a washfountain, the combination of a washbasin of substantially semi-circular form, having a back wall portion, a water supply pipe, a water distributing means connected with said supply pipe and disposed above said basin for directing water into the same, a valve controlling the fiow of water to said distributing means, a reciprocal member for controlling said valve including a vertically movable rod, guide means for said rod including a-base plate, a lever for moving said rod, and an actuator for said lever connected intermediate its ends to said lever and operable from any point about said basin and pivotally supported at its ends beneath the same and adjacent said back wall portion.

HOWARD A. MULLETT. HERMAN E. HEINE. 

